This Healthy Broccoli Salad has everything – crunchy broccoli, crispy bacon and shredded cheddar coated in tangy, creamy Greek yogurt dressing. It’s your favorite picnic side dish made healthier!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It took me 20 years to fall in love with a broccoli salad. I find traditional versions overpoweringly sweet, salty and heavy. Now, not this healthy broccoli salad recipe!
Yogurt in the dressing cuts back fat by 50-60%. Using a pound of raw broccoli, you are definitely meeting your daily veggie intake. We use only 5 slices of bacon and 1/4 cup of sharp cheddar to add more flavor with less calories. You can always use low sodium versions or cut back the amount.
And lastly, sunflower seeds, red onion and dried fruits add vitamins and nutrients. This healthy broccoli salad is fresh, vibrant, perfect for summer with chicken burgers or as a classic holiday side dish! It comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Reader’s Review
This broccoli salad is the best! I will definitely make it again and it will be a go to for me at regular and special meals. Thanks!
Lisa Maroney
Ingredients for Healthy Broccoli Salad
- Broccoli: You usually use fresh broccoli for a broccoli salad. No need to boil or steam it. You can buy pre-chopped broccoli but I would use it within a few days while fresh.
- Bacon: I like to use humanely raised or at least nitrite-free. Most brands have that option nowadays.
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese is the best choice for a broccoli salad because it adds more flavor with less calories than regular cheddar. Look for old aged or extra sharp cheddar cheese. The thicker the shred, the better.
- Dried cranberries: Unsweetened dried cranberries are a healthier choice but they are not always available in supermarkets. Use regular ones but maybe less.
- Sunflower seeds: Buy roasted sunflower seeds or give them a quick toast in a skillet for extra flavor and crunch. Pepitas would be great too!
- Red onion: It’s more mild onion variety than yellow or white onion, and looks pretty.
- Yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt or regular yogurt with at least 2% fat content for the creamy factor.
- Mayo: I think a touch of mayonnaise completes the perfect balanced yogurt salad dressing. I like to use avocado oil mayo but you can substitute with equal amount of yogurt.
- Mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper: To round out flavors in a dressing.
Substitutions
- Super healthy: Skip baked bacon completely and add 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the dressing and maybe another sprinkle to taste to the salad. Feel free to cut back mayo to 1 tablespoon or none, and amp up the yogurt. Or use olive oil and soy sauce based salad dressing from my spinach salad recipe. It suits this salad very well!
- Dried cranberries substitute: Raisins, dried cherries or fresh grapes. The addition of sweet fruit combined with salty bacon and sharp cheddar is what makes the best broccoli salad ever!
- More veggies: Chopped celery adds volume, texture, crunch and nutrition to any salad!
- Use nuts: Add roasted almonds, cashews or walnuts instead of sunflower seeds.
How to Make Healthy Broccoli Salad
This salad couldn’t be easier! The only thing we have to cook is bacon. Even dressing is made in same bowl as the salad.
- Cook bacon: You can bake bacon in the oven or in the air fryer. After transfer bacon on double folded paper towel to drain.
- Make salad dressing: Combine yogurt, mayo, mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. We will add all salad ingredients on top.
- Chop broccoli and red onion: Cut broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. I prefer to cut a floret into 4 quarters and then tear with hands to avoid mess. Chop red onion.
- Assemble salad: To the bowl with dressing, add broccoli, red onion, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. Shred cheese and crumble bacon on top. Stir and serve salad immediately or let it chill.
Tips for Best Results
- Cut your broccoli small: Because broccoli stays raw in this salad, you want to make sure to cut it small. This way each piece gets a coating of the dressing and a fair load of all other delicious ingredients. You can also peel and finely chop the stalk.
- Let it marinate: While you can serve broccoli salad right away, I prefer to let flavors “marry each other” in the fridge for about 30 minutes to 2 hours. It also softens the broccoli. My family loves it on day 2 or 3.
- To make ahead: Combine all ingredients, except seeds and bacon, and do not stir. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Store seeds in a container in a pantry, and store bacon in another airtight container in refrigerator. Combine and stir healthy broccoli salad anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours before serving.
Serving Ideas
In summer, if you make healthy broccoli salad for cookouts and potlucks, serve alongside black bean burgers or turkey burgers, and super easy Instant Pot corn on the cob.
For easy dinner year round, baked honey garlic chicken with its sticky glaze goes amazing with this salad. It’s that combination of sweet and salty combined with creamy and crunchy. That’s when kids fell in love with this salad.
How to Store
Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you plan on enjoying it over a few days, save some seeds and bacon to add for impeccable crunch right before serving.
Freeze? No. Vegetable salads do not freeze well.
More Broccoli and Salad Recipes to Try
Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dressing
Healthy Beef and Broccoli
Sweet Kale Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
20 Minute Crunchy Asian Chopped Salad
Healthy Broccoli Salad Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw broccoli crowns, 5 cups
- 5 bacon slices
- 1/2 cup Greek or regular yogurt, 2%+ fat
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, unsweetened
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Add bacon strips and bake for 20 minutes or until crispy. After transfer bacon on double folded paper towel to drain.
- In the meanwhile, in a large salad bowl add yogurt, mayo, mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Chop broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl with the dressing. Also add red onion, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and cheese.
- Crumble or chop bacon, add to the salad bowl, stir and let broccoli salad sit. While you can serve broccoli salad right away, I prefer to let flavors "marry each other" in the fridge for about 30 minutes – 2 hours.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
- Make ahead: Combine all broccoli salad ingredients, except seeds and bacon, and do not stir. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Store seeds in a dry place and bacon in the fridge, and add before serving.
- Broccoli for broccoli salad is usually raw, no need to cook or steam it.
- Dried cranberries: Unsweetened dried cranberries are a healthier choice but they are not always available in supermarkets. Use regular ones but maybe less.
- Yogurt and mayo: Plain regular or Greek yogurt with at least 2% fat content is the best. If using Greek yogurt and dressing is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water. Feel free to use less or omit mayo. I like avocado oil mayo.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Olena, would frozen broccoli thawed & excess water removed, work in this salad? I always buy frozen organic broccoli from Costco.
Hi Bonnie. I don’t recommend it. It’s best to use fresh broccoli, it has a crunch. I mean, I do buy same frozen broccoli, it is kind of firm upon thawing but still I am not so sure how it will taste texture wise.